Mother-daughter meal at a Suseong Daegu Korean restaurant: Banwoldang

A Suseong-gu favorite: Banwoldang Buja Sikdang Suseong Branch, and its proper fire-grilled ojebokkeum

Where is Banwoldang Buja Sikdang Suseong Branch, and where do you park?

When I'm craving Korean food around Suseong-gu, parking worries usually come before taste worries. But Banwoldang Buja Sikdang Suseong Branch let us eat without that stress at all.

It's located at 22 Beomeocheon-ro, Suseong-gu, Daegu, right in the Beomeo underground-road food alley, so it wasn't hard to find with all the other restaurants clustered nearby. There's a public parking line right in front of the store, and they cover one hour of parking, so bringing the car wasn't a burden. The opposite side of the road is covered too, so there's really no need to worry about parking.

• Address: 22 Beomeocheon-ro, 1st floor, Suseong-gu, Daegu, South Korea
• Hours: 11:00–20:45 (break time 15:30–17:00)
• Parking: parking fee support when using Nosang Public Parking Lot 3

How the Suseong branch differs from the original: a bigger, cleaner dining hall

I'd been to the original Banwoldang branch of this Suseong-gu Korean restaurant favorite a few times, but visiting the Suseong branch in person, it felt cleaner and more comfortable than the original. The original has more of an old-school, long-running-restaurant feel.

Overall the tables weren't cramped and the hall felt spacious, comfortable for a family meal. (The original does have more space and more tables, though.) Every table has its own ordering kiosk, so it was easy to look over the menu slowly and order.

Above all, being able to enjoy the same taste as the original branch in a slightly more comfortable space felt like the Suseong branch's biggest advantage.

Stone-plate fire-grilled ojebokkeum for two: smoky char and tender squid

What we ordered that day was the stone-plate fire-grilled ojebokkeum for two. Ojebokkeum is squid and pork stir-fried together over open flame — it was fun getting two flavors in one dish.

Last time I visited the Banwoldang branch, I only found out ojebokkeum was on the menu after ordering. So I told myself, next time I'm definitely getting ojebokkeum!! haha, and this time I ordered it without hesitation.

The moment the food arrived, the first thing that hit me was the smoky char. Cooked over open flame, the smoky scent rushes right up, and combined with the sweet-spicy sauce, it made me crave rice instantly. The squid wasn't chewy or tough at all — soft yet springy, with the sauce well soaked in.

I especially liked that the food came on a stone plate, so it stayed warm throughout the meal. The sauce wasn't too spicy, so my daughter ate it well too.

Is the included country-style cheonggukjang stew mild enough for beginners?

Ordering a fire-grilled stir-fry dish comes with a country-style cheonggukjang stew. After eating the smoky, slightly sweet-and-spicy ojebokkeum, a spoonful of the savory cheonggukjang stew reset the palate perfectly.

It had the characteristic savoriness of cheonggukjang without being too strong, and surprisingly paired well with the stir-fry. Personally, with this combo, one bowl of rice wasn't going to be enough.

Honestly my daughter and I are cheonggukjang beginners — if it's too strong we can't eat it. But this stew here was totally manageable for us.

Mixed into rice or piled onto ssam vegetables

A stir-fry like this really needs rice. A spoonful of rice topped with squid and pork works great as a side, and mixing the sauce lightly into the rice was also a perfect match.

With the smoky char on the squid and pork plus the sweet, savory sauce, a bowl of rice disappears fast.

There were also ssam vegetables available at the self-serve bar, so piling ojebokkeum onto lettuce with a bit of garlic gave it a whole different flavor.

Worth a trip for Korean food in Suseong-gu, Daegu?

This is now definitely a place I'll visit with my daughter whenever we're out in Suseong-gu craving Korean food.

I tried to snap a shot of the flames shooting up from the frying pan haha, but maybe my finger got fat because it got cut off right as the flame died down, argh haha.

You could see the fire show that brings out that real smoky flavor right from the table. Through a clear window you can see into the kitchen while they cook, and it looked clean, which made me trust the food even more.

And don't forget the coffee after the meal!! I was too full to drink mine, though haha. If you're looking for a good Korean restaurant in Suseong-gu, definitely check this place out.